Postcard17, an Alternative/Indie solo project, is currently a solo project by singer/songwriter Ananthu Balakrishnan, who after his post graduation in Psychology decided to write some alternative/indie music. The song is a juxtaposition of emotional moments of pain and joy washing over one another. A lyrically sad song placed over an elating chord progression it is. The songwriter took inspiration from the past experience of having to relocate from a city by the ocean, and in the act getting separated from his loved one. The chorus was written almost a year ago, and the verses were written quite recently. It seems like the song was somewhere out there waiting for the right moment to come into existence. Sonically the song belongs somewhere in the alternative-rock umbrella.
The music video shot by filmmaker Drona Antony, a film and design graduate from MIT Institute of Design, Pune with rich monochrome aesthetic, tells an open-ended story about three people. It could possibly have different meanings from discovering one’s sexual orientation, polyamory, adultery, a dual life, a failing relationship, faking a relationship or even getting in touch with one’s alter-ego. The timeline of the video runs backward in a subtle manner.
Speaking about upcoming plans, Ananthu shared, “For the next six months, I’m planning to put out two more singles. I have plans of making alternative versions of the songs released now, and collaborate with other artists like dancers or any format of art or artist that can possibly gel well with the songs. Since it is a pandemic, I’m performing in Clubhouse regularly to spread the word about releases.”
Ananthu is an ardent listener of alt-rock music from the 00s and early 10s, like Switchfoot, Kodaline, Early Coldplay, Seafret, Snow Patrol, U2, Lifehouse, The 1975.
Revealing more about himself, he adds, “I am a psychology graduate and I had imposter feelings which actually stopped me for two years from releasing the songs I wrote. The first release ‘Fly’ was very liberating, it helped me wash away a lot of self-doubt. I’m thankful to my family and friends who were with me, the conversations, and support that helped me trust myself to do this.”
Credits:
- Vocals and Acoustic Guitar – Ananthu Balakrishnan (Postcard17)
- Electric & Bass Guitar – Ananthu A.O (Bassist at Down by 6 & Urumi)
- Drums – Nithin Joseph (Drummer at Urumi)
- Recording, Mixing and Mastering – Kishan Sreebal (Home Studio at Kochi)
- Album Art – Anandu Gopal
- Artist’s Photographs – Vishnu Sai (Kochi Based Photographer)
- Direction/Concept/Cinematography/Editing – Drona Antony (Filmmaker, A Film & Design Graduate, MIT Institute of Design, Pune)
- Assists – Bibin Boban, Sanjay
- Cast – Naveena V.M, Arathy Viswanath, Kiran Parackal
